A Tradition of Comfort Food with Flair - original recipes, including gluten-free, nondairy, vegan and vegetarian as well as those for omnivores; classic comfort food prepared with care and the finest seasonal, sustainable and organic ingredients.

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28 February 2014

English Muffin Toasting Bread is something I hadn't made in decades when it
recently entered my thoughts again. Most recipes for it call for a huge amount
of yeast and very short rising time. I prefer the added flavor that comes from
using less yeast and more time.This bread makes the crunchiest, most English muffin-like toast ever!
Perfect with a generous slathering of organic unsalted butter and raspberry jam.
And it is so incredibly easy that it's the first thing that came to mind when I
asked myself "What can I possibly make for the blog today even though I'm sick?"
Yes, its that easy! English Muffin Toasting Bread(Makes two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by 2 1/2-inch loaves) 5 dip-and-sweep cups (25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups milk (I use organic 2 percent)

Cornmeal for pans

1 In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, yeast, salt and baking
soda. In 1-quart glass measure, heat milk until very warm (120 to 130 degrees)
in the microwave.2 With dough whisk or large wooden spoon, stir milk into flour until well
combined. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover bowl. Let
dough rise for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.3 Spray two8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans,
also known as 1-pound loaf
pans (another 1-pound loaf
pan)
with cooking spray and coat with about a tablespoon of cornmeal. Stir down dough
and divide evenly between the two prepared pans. Smooth out the batter and
sprinkle with a little cornmeal. Cover pans with the same piece of sprayed
plastic wrap you used to cover the bowl. Let dough rise for about an hour, just
to the tops of the pans.4 During last 10 minutes of rise, preheat oven to 400 degrees (375, if
using glass pans). Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from pans; cool
completely on wire rack for about an hour. Do not slice until completely cool.

Sounds wonderful! Looks wonderful!However, Jean, you had me at your use of a, "cooking spray." This is the first time I have heard of such a thing. I had to Google it to read about it.I use olive oil to oil my pan, usually an Italian brand such as Filippo Berio.Tony

Thanks, Tony! Cooking spray has been very popular here for a very long time, but I use very little of it. I use mostly extra virgin olive oil and sometimes organic canola oil. And, of course, lots of organic unsalted butter.

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Here you'll find original recipes that warm the body and the soul, recipes of the sort to become a family tradition in your family as well as mine. And I go outside the purview of food blogs with the occasional article about tea, wine and travel.